


Gilded Phonograph

by morgellons



Category: 21st Century CE RPF, Original Work
Genre: Alien Biology, Alien Culture, Aliens, Angst and Feels, Dubious Mathematics, Existentialism, Far Future, Gen, Humanity, Mathematics, NASA, Post-Apocalypse, Sad Ending, Science, Science Fiction, Short Story, Speculative fiction, Tribute, gender neutrality, space
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-09
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-06-26 07:09:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15658278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morgellons/pseuds/morgellons
Summary: There once was a little planet, by this star named Sol...





	Gilded Phonograph

There once was a little planet, by this star named Sol…

  
  
  


They had been traveling for so long, nearly long enough to lose track of just how far they had come— moreover, how far they still needed to go. Technology and all, the numbers were unimaginable. If it weren’t for that technology, all would have surely escaped their grasp. 

 

Standing before the bridge was a tall, willowy figure. The translucent appendages curving gracefully atop its head glistened with the radiance of the cosmos. Its lidless, black eyes reflected the blues and purples and greens as they dove through the stars with intent. There was no time to waste. 

 

A soft, low-decibel tone buzzed in the being’s throat, notifying the others on its now-finishing shift. The one with the most magnificent appendages— perfectly oscillating curves which sprouted from the crown of its head, cresting thrice before trickling into the final trough— returned the call. It was a pure and clean sound, one to put shame towards any buzzy gurgle of the other beings. The sound was like a blessing of the senses. It rang smoothly about all of their crests, the vibrations being absorbed with ease. 

 

Sinu, named for its rare crests, had approved the first being’s dismissal. They parted ways, the latter slowly making its way towards the promenade of living quarters. Stopping at the cabin labeled with a simple graph of _ x = y _ , which signified the individual’s identity, Stria took a moment to reflect. It grazed its primary tactile appendages over its head, feeling the lack of curvature in its crests. As much as it felt as if the sense of sound had never been impaired by the shape of its crests, Stria could not help but wonder if this was merely a result of never having experienced more. There must be more— sounds that are louder, bass that is deeper, timber that is sharper. It simply cannot imagine it, as it has never experienced it. 

 

Energy spent on self-consciousness was energy wasted, it soon figured. Taking a seat in its designated living quarters, Stria looked far off into the spectacular, hypnotic void once more. Somewhere out there, beyond the pane of the large window, was a civilization waiting for them. They would not care about inheritance, Stria hoped. It would not matter how lowly it appeared, for it had outdone a hundred Sines in spite of it all. It had made it all the way here, and so Stria knew better to continue to doubt itself. It was the most passionate about this voyage, the most prepared. Oh, the things it will say to the new entities, the information they will exchange. The entities had already exchanged so much in the Signal alone. What more could they have to offer, and how much could Stria give to them? It could only imagine. Only time would tell. 

  
  



End file.
